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Terry Francona named AL Manager of the Year: Top 5 Cleveland sports stories of 2013 #3

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Cleveland Indians Jason Giambi picks up manager Terry Francona in the locker room celebration after the Indians victory 5-1 over the Minnesota Twins and advance as the home team in the wild card playoff game, on Sept. 29, 2013 at Target Field, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
(Chuck Crow/The Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND, Ohio – On October 6, 2012 the Indians aggressive pursuit
of Terry Francona ended with a pleasant surprise. Francona accepted the job as
the Indians new manager.

It was easy to see why the Tribe targeted Francona. He had
Cleveland roots – his father played for the club from 1959 until 1964. He had
the two World Series titles that he won with the Boston Red Sox. And players
wanted to play for him, as evidenced by Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn choosing
Cleveland in free agency.

It was the perfect match. Francona was looking for a
comeback after a rough ending in Boston. The Indians were also looking to
rebound after a second-half collapse, which ended Manny Acta's time in
Cleveland.

Like all great comeback stories, this too, had a happy
ending in the first year. The Tribe, one of the surprise teams in 2013,
finished with 90 wins and a playoff appearance. The incredible turnaround was
capped off with Francona being named Manager of the Year, beating out Red Sox
manager John Farrell.

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